Allegations of Abuse and Neglect at Stockton Facility

One of the largest nursing homes in Stockton, CA is facing numerous allegations ofnursing home abuse and neglect, according to arecent article from Recordnet.com. Reports from patients and their families allege lack of privacy,physical abuse, and serious neglect at Wagner Heights Nursing and Rehabilitation Center. What else do you need to know about these allegations? Can they help families to understand the importance of researching a nursing home or assisted-living facility before allowing an elderly loved one to become a resident at a facility without the best patient ratings?

Serious Citations at Wagner Heights Nursing and Rehabilitation Center

Based on data provided by California Advocates for Nursing Home Reform (CANHR), Wagner “has been issued the greatest number of serious citations going back to 2010 . . . of any skilled nursing home in Stockton.” Over the last six years, it has received six serious citations. Why were those citations issued? According to the article, the following represent some of the most serious fines levied against Wagner Heights:

$1,000 fine for physical abuse of a patient in 2014;

$16,000 fine in 2013 for deterioration after a patient arrived in an emergency department with severe dehydration and acute renal failure due to that dehydration; and

$20,000 fine in 2010 for patient neglect.

If we look at the citations against Wagner Heights between 2010-2013, the four years for which we have complete records, it turns out that the facility “far exceeded the state average in the number of deficiencies recorded by state public health inspectors, peaking at 48 in 2011.” To give you a sense of how that number compares to California’s state average, the state average in 2011 was only 20.5 deficiencies.

In addition to citations from state public health inspectors, Wagner Heights also received a startlingly high number of patient complaints. For instance, in 2013, Wagner Heights received 36 patient complaints compared with California’s state average of 14. As the article underscores, the facility “received more than double the state average number of patient complaints in all but one year.”

Patient Complaints Concerning Care at the Facility

What kinds of complaints have patients at Wagner Heights made? Examples of allegations made by patients include some of the following:

One resident complained that he fell, and no nurses or staff members came to assist him.

Another resident complained of disturbances in her room at night and a general lack of privacy.

The family of one deceased patient complained of nursing home neglect and bed sores.

Other patients complained of unstaffed nursing stations and the inability to find assistance to use a bathroom.

There are several lawsuits pending against the facility, including elder abuse and negligence claims. In addition, one family has a filed a wrongful death lawsuit in the death of a 77-year-old resident.

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